Ramadan Journal 27-29

27. Decor:

28.  Traditions- 29: Eid

opening Eid gifts in the morning:

making basbousa with my daughter:

going to the Eid fun fair:

Ramadan Journal 23-26

 23.From Where I Stand:

I was standing in line at Primark yesterday, where they have baskets of lip glosses, argan oil, and candies, when I saw packs of Haribo Gold Gummy Bears with a halal sticker on them!  The ingredient list on the back also said halal beef gelatin.  They used to be sold in Asda, but haven't been there for awhile, so I was excited to see these.  Southall also has some.

24. Watching:

I haven't been watching much tv in Ramadan.  Instead I've been playing and listening to Nouman Ali Khan's Gems of the Quran videos
http://www.quranweekly.com/category/nouman-ali-khan/

25.  Drink:

Today's smoothie was one frozen banana, 1tabspn  peanut butter, a teaspoon of slivered almonds, and milk.

26.  Out and About:

This weekend I went to Southall to get some gifts, I was looking for cotton shalwar suits and found a few. And I got a child-sized red janamaaz (prayer mat) and scarf for a little girl.   I also got some lightweight summer scarves for myself and friends.

Ramadan Journal Day 20

20. Grateful for:

I liked this short video by Nouman Ali Khan on gratitude in the Quran:

http://www.quranweekly.com/juz-13-quranic-gems/

Crayola Ramadan Coloring Pages

Crayola has several Ramadan themed coloring and activity pages on their website here

Ramadan Journal Day 18 and 19

18. In My Bag:

This is my diaper bag:

The colors are a lot more vivid than the photo.  Inside is a pull ups diaper, wipes, changing mat, extra outfit, bib, sun hat, hand sanitizer, bandaids, cotton balls, alcohol wipes, a car window sun shield sticker.  I like this bag because it's compact and waterproof, which is useful with London weather. Also I got it for $17 at Home Goods in the US, when it normally costs $80.  Before I got this one, I used the below oversized Monsoon bag as a diaper bag:

19. Six o'clock:

I'm usually cooking at this time, yesterday for iftar I had dates and cherries, cheese and crackers, rooh afza, and for dinner chicken nihari with homemade roti and salad.  I used half a packet of Laziza Nehari spice mix.

Ramadan Journal Day 17

17. Mosque

In London I've only been to two mosques- Harrow masjid a few years ago for Eid prayer when it was under construction, and London Central Mosque for Family Fun Day last month.  I loved London Central Mosque, it's so beautiful and you feel a sense of peace as soon as you enter.  I like how so many mosques here have family fun days- aside from being fun, it creates a feeling of community.

Some photos from London Central Mosque's Family Fun Day:

There was a stall of baked goods, these delicious cakes and cupcakes are handmade by a lovely lady, here's her website http://www.sweetdessert.moonfruit.com

I tried all three cakes and they were all yummy, especially the chocolate mocha cake.  They were the best cakes I've had in London so far. 

Good Finds

Imam Khalid Latif of New York University has a series of daily Ramadan reflections in Huffington Post  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/imam-khalid-latif/

This website has good posts about Muslim products for kids and adults:
http://jannahslist.com/

Such as this swimshirt by Coolibar.  I bought a basic rash guard/swimshirt from this company years ago and really liked it.
http://www.coolibar.com/product/Women/Swimwear/Long-Sleeve-Tops/Ruche-Swim-Shirt-Print/pc/2240/c/2186/sc/2209/155898.uts

Ramadan journal- Perspective

Day 16. Perspective:

I really liked this:

As much as you can, keep dunya (worldly life) in your hand--not in your heart. That means when someone insults you, keep it out of your heart so it doesn't make you bitter or defensive. When someone praises you, also keep it out of your heart, so it doesn't make you arrogant and self-deluded. When you face hardship andstress, don't absorb it in your heart, so you don't become hopeless and overwhelmed. Instead keep it in your hands and realize that everything passes. When you're given a gift by God, don't hold it in your heart. Hold it in your hand so that you don't begin to love the gift more than the giver. And so that when it is taken away you can truly respond with 'inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon': 'indeed we belong to God, and to God we return'. - Yasmin Mogahed

Ramadan Journal Day 15

15. Me:

This is where I was born:

This is where I grew up:

This is where I live now:

Ramadan Journal Day 12, 13, 14

12. Prayer/Mercy:

When reading the Quran I'm struck by how often it says "for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful," often several times on a page.

some verses I highlighted:

2:152

When my servants ask you concerning Me I am indeed close (to them); I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on Me; let them also, with a will, listen to My call and believe in Me; that they may walk in the right way.

 2:186

13.  In My Kitchen

...is another kitchen

                                                                    a fruit hamper

                                                                    my smoothie maker

14. Now Playing: 

My daughter is playing this Little Muslims app, which is a matching game with nice graphics and simple explanations of terms like Quran, zakat, Kaaba, salah etc.  Anyone know of other good apps for preschoolers?

Ramadan Journal Day 9, 10, 11

9. This happened Today:

I went to the library and they were having a book sale.  I found a copy of Whatever Next! by Jill Murphy which is one of our favorite picture books.

10. Grateful For:

Having the opportunity to live in London, where so many great places are nearby, Southall being one of them.  With the current heatwave, I needed some summer clothes and found some lightweight cotton shalwar suits there.  I also got a small cardigan and flower pin from New Look, which was having a sale.

                                             A Sha Posh cotton suit with embroidery down the front

11. Iftar/Evening:

I make cold glasses of Rooh Afza for iftar, nowadays with water instead of milk because it's so late, and it's hard to eat dinner if you have a lot of other iftar items.  We usually have some fruits and sometimes either samosas or pakoras.  I've made samosas and spring rolls in the oven instead of frying them to cut down on the oil.  Tonight for iftar it's going to be dates, an apple or banana, and kaale chane, which are stir fried black chickpeas.

Ramadan Journal Day 8

8. Handwriting:  Taped on my kitchen wall, I have a list of games and activities to keep my toddler occupied.  

Yesterday for iftar I made this black eyed bean salad, it was delicious, somewhat like chola chat and tabbouli.  The habanero chili was too hot for my taste though!  I used one cup of dried beans and added one whole small chili, minus the seeds.  Way too hot.  The cucumber and bell peppers added a nice crunch.  Here's the recipe: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Senegal-Black-Eyed-Pea-Salad

We also got some mithai (Indian sweets) from a local shop.

Ramadan Journal Day 6 and 7

6. Workspace:

My current workspace is pretty minimal since I don't have much space.  Here's my new sewing machine which  replaced my Toyota Quiltmaster.  It's doesn't take up much space and is easy to use (no fiddly front loading bobbin, which drove me crazy with the Quiltmaster.)

In the future I want to upgrade to a Janome SMD 2000:

And if I ever have the space, I would love to have a proper sewing studio, with glass cabinets for fabric like in the below photo, a cutting table, ironing board, dress form, bookshelf for my sewing books and patterns, some vintage dress prints and fabric swatches on the wall, and lots of drawer space for my threads, beads, and trims. 

7. White:

I made dahi barey the other day, which were delicious.  I use this recipe but I don't add garlic and garam masala to the sauce, I put zeera powder, salt, and red chili powder.  I've heard you can add milk to the sauce as well, anyone have a different way of making them?

Mango

Mango is having a sale.  I love these looks.

Ramadan Journal Day 5- Something Crafty

I wasn't planning on doing anything crafty, but my daughter was bored and we'd just bought a glue stick the other day, so I gave her some things to glue.  I'd saved scraps of wrapping tissue paper, ribbon, and fabric in a jar.  Also, my bouquet of peonies (given to me by my lovely neighbor) was beginning to lose its petals, so I gave my daughter a bunch to play with.  We also scattered them around the carpet and made a flower garden.

This morning I tried out a new smoothie recipe, it was tasty but next time I would only use one tablespoon of coffee, I found it too strong. 

Coffee Banana Cooler

1 frozen banana

half cup milk

1 tablespoon Nescafe instant coffee powder

4 tablespoons Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream